The Vanguard Commanders
The Vanguard Commanders are the ten elite warriors hand picked by Lord Drake to lead his elite fighting unit, the Vanguard. Coming from all walks of life and different backgrounds, all are fierce, skilled warriors who swore loyalty to Drake, Koridai, and its Tiny Goddess. Now, however, their loyalty only lies with Drake and one another, though it should be noted that none seem particularly against Chikara, wherever she may be. Rafael LeMarquis Lord Rafael LeMarquis 'is the leader of the First Vanguard Unit, and hails from the unrelenting Lalvician Sea. Originally nobility in his younger days, his family's fortunes however turned south when he was ten and fell into disgrace, forcing him to flee. Extremely skilled in the art of dual wielding full sized blades, he used this to advantadge and tore through his enemies, surviving by his quick wit and intelligence in the cruel pirate dominated world. He eventually on his travels found himself at the mysterious and legendary domain of this so called "king of pirates" and with nothing better to do offered his services as a mercenary to any who required it in the impressively large island fortress. This eventually caught the eye of the aloof Admiral himself, and whether by hook or crook, the pirate leader soon recieved Rafael's absolute loyalty. Eventually he gained leadership of his elite Cerulean Corps, and worked in tandem with the wild but not focused Kalen Gentz of his counterpart, the Crimson Corps. It was certainly a strange and rather polarizing partnership, between the calm, collected, and neat tactical Rafael and the wild, violent fury of Kalen, but the two managed to become what one could call close friends - other then the Admiral himself, she was probably the only person he would trust unquestionably, and vice versa. Rafael served under the Admiral until the destruction of the Fortress, and fled south with the majority of the pirates into what would become the Empire of Koridai. Here he and Kalen stuck together, helping clear the lands for the coming civilization in the name of the Goddess, but otherwise keeping to themselves until they accepted Drake's invitation to join the Vanguard. As stated before, Rafael is a master of the otherwise difficult and most would say worthless practice of dual-wielding, letting his twin razor sharp swords sing as they cut through the air and anything that might be in the way. The man himself is a tall, well developed yet not bulky man with medium length black hair and equally dark eyes, filled with a resolute stern, yet peaceful look. Typically Rafael is in his commander's garb, alternating between the standard, robes & armor appearance when on the homefront and full-on armor in battle, with his own signature crest from his days in the Cerulean Corps - even Kalen opted to take her new crest for her position rather then carryover the old Fortress insignia, leaving him a peculiar oddity amongst the people starting a new life in this new blessed land. All the same, most see him as being very polite, as a remnant of his noble upbringing, and tends to be the one who pauses and waits for the various ruckus and uproars to die down before calmly explaining his own position on the matter at hand. All the same, other then Kalen, he seems to not bother with attempting to have any friends, though he's cordial and loyal enough to his fellow commanders and Drake himself. Kalen Gentz ''see main article: Lady Kalen Gentz Chevrios Alamar '''Lord Chevrios Alamar is the massive mountain of muscle of a man who leads the Third Vanguard Unit. Bald, stern, and hysterically strong, within that seemingly slow body in fact lies quite an eloquant mind and matching voice, locked in the burly tanned hulking form. Wielding the kanabo, Chevrios is infamous for single handedly facing down several of the lumbering beasts that once plagued the land upon settlement, crushing their bones with several well placed and expertly timed swings of the club. Enemy combatants who think him to be nothing more then a bald brute sent out to attack their cavalry are sorely msitaken, as given what occurs to their steeds when incapacitated by one of his lethal blows, it's best not to think of what happens to the hapless soldier who gets caught in one of his surprisingly quick, uncannily timed swings. His past is mostly a mystery, having been picked up by the Fortress refugees in their escape route soon after they came ashore, though he, like most anyone, is thankful for Her Holiness' aide and the alleged salvation that she brought with her, and stands loyal to the empire, and most tellingly, Drake. Cif Walkaria The commander of the Fourth Vanguard Unit, Lady Cif Walkaria (that's vhul-kah-rhea) is the strangely playful and happy-go-lucky warrior who nonetheless is as incredibly skilled and competant as her fellow commanders, and other then Chevrios is probably the most physically strong of them all. Built with a large frame thanks to genetics but still keeping all the charms, curves, and wiles of femininity, the long strawberry blonde haired woman from the snowy woods is quite possibly the one single non-dreary entity within the Vanguard Commanders without a depressing, angst filled background - or at the very least, she handles it better then her comrades. Truly, her sunny, sometimes rude and bitchy but ultiamtely friendly disposition towards her comrades and even non-threatening civilians on her good days is her stand out feature, though as a general rule men tend to be incredibly intimidated by her sheer size and strength. It would be extremely foolish to let that bright, happy outlook cloud her prowess on the battlefield, however, as her skills making firewood and generally using the handy tool growing up has translated, with some training, very well into the battlefield with her hefty, razor sharp battle axe in hand. Chopping and striking foes, both human and beast alike, down comes second nature, as she expertly flips between the two heads of the melee weapon for use in combat, in tandem with her own brute strength and speed. All the same, if one were to "man up" and look past her muscles and power, Cif is actually the "girliest" of the three female commanders, as the princess curls in her hairstyle attest to, enjoying more down to earth hobbies in her off time, including cooking and shopping, as opposed to the always battle ready and hardened Kalen and rather mature and artsy Rochelle, though it's noted that the latter is always game to hang out, while the former tends to require some coaxing. All the same, on-duty, Cif is as proud a warrior as the others despite her welcome positive outlook, though Drake is notably irked by her proper yet almost.....ditzy speech patterns. Whether they admit it or not, her personality is a welcome addition to the ten, and while there's no true animosity within the group, Cif is the one everyone unanimously likes, even amongst the rest of the regular military and government, and tends to be the one who goes out and works the very, very few occasional public relations event that requires Vanguard representation. Stargov Vichards The blonde, long-haired leader of the Fifth Vanguard, Lord Stargov Vichards is a long distance terror with his expertise of the longbow. With his inhumane pinpoint accuracy, most would-be heroes tend to be dropped like a sack of potatoes before they can get anywhere near him, though if he must he's more then competant in hand-to-hand combat. Hailing from an unknown group of refugees from the east during the great migration, Stargov is fairly quiet about his past, though his skill displayed upon thoughtlessly leaping to defense of the caravan, and later the new settlement makes it clear that one way or another he had known combat all his life. As his choice of weapon may hint at, he tends to keep himself distant from the others, keeping to himself for the most part when not in official duty or capacity, though in the end his loyalty is not to be questioned. Neither is his past, for that matter. Adeni Revel Armed with a traditional, no-frills longsword, Lord Adeni Revel is a gentleman in every sense of the word, and then some. Leading the Sixth Vanguard Unit, the deeply tan, fair haired man is one of refinement and taste, infamous for his somewhat overly formal manner in which he presents himself, a result of being born into nobility. Unlike the other memebers of the Vanguard ushered into a wealthy world, he actually got to use the silver spoon in his mouth as he was raised in the environment, and stayed that way until one thing or another forced him onto a journey that eventually led to the fleeing Fortress denziens. As a result, he is probably the msot educated of the commanders save Drake himself, and the one most willing to deal with the pomp and circumstance of his position. Do not let his background fool you, however, as he is a formidable opponent with his blade, having been taught by the finest instructors in his land, and due to one's rough and tumble methods, was purposely forced into a situation where said skills had to be utilized to avoid death. While his parents had the poor trainer executed for such foolish and dangerous thinking, the "damage" was done, and Adeni sought to use and hone his training in real combat rather then the boring and trite duels of the aristocratic lifestyle. Now being one of the finest natural swordsman in Koridai, his place amongst the commanders is well deserved, even if he chafes at the other nine somewhat. All the same, Adeni is as loyal to Her Holiness and the Empire as any other, with nary a thought of betrayal or treachery in his mind. Rochelle Nevaeh Lady Rochelle Nevaeh of the seventh Vanguard Unit lives up to her title very well. As Cif is the somewhat boisterous, extroverted and almost ditzy "girly girl," and Kalen is the violent, brooding, borderline aloof loner, Rochelle is very much a lady of war, a woman in every sense of the word who refuses to lose any sense of femininity in the heat of battle, while never once compromising her battle prowess. With grace and fury her naginata twirls and impales in the battlefield, her wavering, rich red locks signaling beauty and death upon those who are unfortuante enough to see her on the opposing end of the battle. While she hails from the dusty and harsh desert, Rochelle herself was born elsewhere, at a location even she herself is unaware of, having been lost as a child and ending up in the care of a nomadic tribe in the process of trading with a more "civilized" group of people. As a child she was fascinated by them, and while her adoptive family cared for her, it became more and more apparent that, despite the darkened skin the environment gave her, she was not one of them, as her hair and eerily beautiful golden eyes gave away. Whatever the case, as she grew older the tribe made it a point to school her as best as they could, and hired one of the "civil" women to teach her grace and "proper" manners. As a result, Rochelle grew up to be an eloquent young woman, and the training became second nature to her. By circumstances she has yet to reveal, she eventually found herself traveling the world alone, seeking a place that would accept an obviously "civilized" woman that had been "corrupted" by barbarians, and in her travels Rochelle came to Koridai, stumbling upon the settlers struggling to set up their new home. Rushing to aid a set of orphans under attack by a wild beast, the refined and graceful fighting style was not only succesful but impressed all who witnessed her, and within time she was accepted by this ragtag group of misfits that had come to live under the protection of the Goddess. Eventually, she became a member of the Vanguard, and her loyalty became unquestioned, her search complete - though Adeni still occasionally finds her refinement "quaint" comapred to his upbringng. Rochelle holds an especially close relationship with Cif and Kalen, as the only three female commanders in the Vanguard, and finds contented happiness with them in her times off duty, which is reciprocated, even by the latter. In the end, she fights valiently to protect and serve her newfound "family," - but with all the elegance as can be expected. Valhuron Reaneke Leondria Dellinai Melfaria Centronous